Amos takes command of the CorpsMarine Corps Times
On a crisp, fall morning on the historic ceremonial grounds at Marine Barracks Washington, Gen. Jim Amos took command of the United States Marine Corps, becoming the 35th commandant in the service's 235-year history.More

General: Operational reserve makes business senseAmerican Forces Press Service
Department stores hire temporary workers for the holiday crunch time, then lay them off when the demand wanes in early January. Given the opportunity, commercial airlines would love to pay their pilots only while they're in the cockpit, taking them off the clock — and off the payroll — once they land.More

Foundation: Base DoD budget of $488 billion by 2016Defense News
The "defense drawdown is coming," proclaims the TechAmerica Foundation in a new report that predicts baseline Pentagon budgets will steadily shrink to about $488 billion annually. In a report to be formally unveiled Oct. 20, the foundation warns a "double tsunami is about to hit the defense budget," composed of smaller war supplemental spending measures and shrinkage in the base Defense Department budget "in response to deficit pressures."More

Sen. Bond: Troops with combat stress discharged, not treatedThe McClatchy Company
The military has been discharging troops who are suffering from combat stress, instead of providing treatment, according to Missouri Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond and several veterans advocates. That would mean that many who could be afflicted with mental health conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, have left the service without official medical diagnoses and no chance for medical benefits.More

Is the U.S. Army overhyping its 'breakthrough' brain-injury test?Wired
Army brass declared a triumph over diagnosing traumatic brain injuries last week, hyping a simple new blood test they say can catch the trauma before it becomes more severe, before telltale symptoms manifest, or before troops sustain a second concussion. But with one small study and a history of expensive, underperforming "breakthrough" treatments for brain injuries, this latest test still has a ways to go before it'll be worth bragging about. "This is a breakthrough," Col. Dallas Hack, director of the Army's Combat Casualty Care Research Program, told CNN. "It can make a significant benefit for mankind."More

Program fills gap for returning guard, reserveAmerican Forces Press Service
Though the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program has eased the post-deployment process for thousands of Guard and Reserve members and their families over the past two years, officials are hoping thousands more take advantage of the Defense Department program in the coming months, the program's executive director said.More

Program links reservists, guardsmen, families to jobsAmerican Forces Press Service
A program that links reserve and National Guard members, their families and veterans with civilian employers has reached a milestone, with more than 1,000 employers now signed on to hire qualified job-seekers. The Employer Partnership of the Armed Forces, originally an Army Reserve initiative that has expanded militarywide, is growing by leaps and bounds as it helps both the military and civilian employers tap into the same talent pool, reported Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz, chief of the Army Reserve, who founded the program.More

New York Air Guard begins work on new C-5MNational Guard Bureau
The New York Air National Guard's 105th Airlift Wing has begun work on the interior of the U.S. Air Force's first C-5M Super Galaxy cargo plane. The massive aircraft, an upgraded version of the C-5A the 105th Airlift Wing currently flies, was towed into the inspection stands at Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York. The 105th's aircraft maintainers are performing an annual inspection that incorporates restoration work to the inspection program.More

Warfighters plan for 'future fight' at weapons, tactics conferenceDefense Talk
Airmen in the ranks of sergeant through lieutenant colonel, warfighters serving abroad and defending the homeland, gathered in Tucson Ariz., Oct. 18-22 to tell Guard and Reserve senior leaders what they need to improve capability in the air reserve component, or ARC. Their focus was on "Legacy Platforms, Future Fight," this year's theme at the Weapons and Tactics Conference, or WEPTAC, held at Tucson International Airport, home of conference hosts, the Air National Guard-Air Force Reserve Command Test Center, or AATC, and the Arizona Air National Guard's 162nd Fighter Wing.More

Army names new superintendent for Arlington National CemeteryThe Washington Post
Patrick K. Hallinan, who has been serving as acting superintendent of Arlington National Cemetery since an Army investigation revealed widespread problems there, has been appointed to the position permanently, Sec. of the Army John M. McHugh announced. McHugh also said cemetery employees will begin training at the Department of Veterans Affairs, which officials said would help ensure a more professionally run cemetery and prevent some of the problems that have plagued the facility.More

National Guard (in Federal Status) and Reserve Activated as of Oct. 19, 2010U.S. Department of Defense
This week the Army, Navy, and Air Force announced a decrease in activated reservists, while the Marine Corps and Coast Guard announced an increase. The net collective result is 1,410 fewer reservists activated than last week. At any given time, services may activate some units and individuals while deactivating others, making it possible for these figures to either increase or decrease.More